From Where I Stand
by Lletya
Summary: Edward is a nerd who is fully content to remain in his own little world. Jasper is the star quarterback for his school and a complete jerk. When these two are paired together for a history project, they will discover that there's so much more to each other than what they see. All human.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**EPOV**

_Early as usual._

I smiled inwardly as I walked into the empty classroom. Dealing with people was not exactly my forte, so I was pleased to see that I was the first one to get to class.

Today is the first day of my senior year of high school. I could not be more excited. All of the classes that had been previously restricted were now open to me, and I looked forward to the challenge that these classes presented.

My first class of the day was United States History. Or rather, the second part of it. This was one of the two required classes I had, along with English. But even though it would not have been my choice to take this class, I was still looking forward to it. We would be starting with the Civil War and finishing in the present day. I heard that we would start the class with a yearlong project on the war in question, and I was interested as to what this project would entail.

I walked to a seat near the back of the room and set my backpack down. Realizing that I had a good half an hour until class started, I gazed out the window and let my mind drift off.

You see, I'm a nerd. And when I say I'm a nerd, I mean that I'm a nerd in the worst of ways. My ideal weekend involves me sitting on my Xbox and proving my gaming superiority to the people I meet online. Naturally, I have my circle of gaming friends who are more than happy to join me on my endeavors. We had plans for a nonstop gaming session this weekend and I was already waiting for the week to be over.

I was far off in my own mind planning what games I would be playing this weekend when I heard mindless chatter around me. I was brought back to the present day to see that class would be starting soon.

I watched the door, curious to see if any of my friends would walk in. All… two of them. I was still watching the door when my face fell and my heart dropped into my stomach.

In walked the star quarterback himself, Mr. Jasper Fucking Whitlock.

I hated him. More than I could even put into words. Imagine the most closed minded, bigoted person you can think of. Got it? Now imagine two of them. Got that too? Now imagine ten of them and put them all together. That's about half as bad as this guy.

His blond curls hung loosely about his face as he flashed his winning smile to the class, making half the girls practically swoon in response. I'm not sure why though, since he has his trophy girlfriend on his arm.

Enter Rosalie "I'm-Fucking-Jasper" Hale. She's the definition of stuck up. I can see why though. She's perfect in every sense of the word. Physically at least. Long, flowing blond hair and a body to die for. I quickly turned away to avoid drooling over her.

Fine, I'll admit it. She's my dream girl. She's everyone's. But I wouldn't tell anyone that. Well, anyone else.

They took their seats in the front of the classroom and I rolled my eyes. At least I wouldn't have to deal with them. Who was I kidding though? They didn't even know I existed.

The teacher finally walked in and began calling roll. I accepted the fact that none of my friends would be in this class and just sat there, thinking about my plans for the weekend.

The teacher finished calling roll and began to explain our yearlong project. As interested as I was in said project, I figured I would just read the handout later so I tuned out again until I heard him mention "partners."

"Because this is the first day of school, I thought it would be best if partners were randomly assigned, that way you can get to know each other a little better."

I was perfectly fine with that, since I didn't know anyone anyway.

He started reading down the list of names, indicating that we should raise our hands when called so that we would be able to identify our partners.

When I finally heard my name called, I raised my hand immediately. When I heard my partner's named called, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

"Edward Cullen? You will be paired up with… Jasper Whitlock."

Jasper raised his hand and looked nonchalantly over at me for a brief moment before turning back to the front of the room.

_You cannot be serious. Of all the people in this classroom… I get stuck with him. This is a nightmare, that's what it is. Later I'll wake up and it'll be time for me to get ready for my first day of school. Yeah, that's it._

But naturally, that wasn't the case. I continued to stare at the back of his head in sheer horror. I decided that I would speak to the teacher after class to see if I couldn't somehow get a different partner. Dealing with him on a daily, or even weekly, basis was something I wasn't sure I'd be able to do.

Once the teacher had finished calling out the partners, he directed us to move so that we were sitting in the seat next to them. The chair next to me was empty, and my mind started racing as I tried to figure out if he would notice it or if he expected me to move up to where he sat.

My question was answered quickly as he plopped down in the seat next to me and gave me an annoyed look. I opened my mouth to greet him but he quickly cut me off.

"Your nerdy ass better know what the hell it's doing because I don't really give a fuck."

Oh yeah, this was going to be a great school year.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**JPOV**

This was it. Senior year of high school. This year, it was my turn to rule the school.

"Hey man, you ready for this?" my friend Seth asked as we pulled up to the school parking lot.

"Hell yeah," I grinned back at him. I parked in my reserved space near the front of the school and got out of the car. My girlfriend Rosalie was waiting for me by the door. Damn, I forgot how hot that girl was.

"Hey babe," I said as I walked up to her with my arms out. She practically jumped in my arms and I swung her around, like they do in movies and shit.

"Come on let's get to class," she whined. "I don't want to start the year by being late!"

I rolled my eyes, knowing full well that her "new grade resolution" was going to die out in about a week. I told Seth I'd see him later as Rose and I walked hand in hand to our American history class and saw that class was nearly full. There were few open seats left and none of them were next to each other.

I flashed a smile at the nerdy girl sitting in a seat near the front and then looked over at Rose. The nerdette understood quickly and moved to a different seat. I led Rose to the now open seat and then sat down in my own.

The teacher took roll and then droned on for a while about some project we were supposed to do. I waited to hear my name called and when I did, I groaned a little to see that some nerdy kid in the back was my partner. Well, maybe I could make him do the whole thing for me.

He told us to sit next to our partners and I figured this would be a good chance for me to put the kid in his place.

I walked over to the empty seat next to him and sat down as I said, "Your nerdy ass better know what the hell it's doing because I don't really give a fuck."

The combined look of shock and terror on his face was just priceless. He mumbled something in response but I didn't care enough to listen.

The teacher waited until we were all situated before he continued his mindless droning.

"Alright class, now before I go into any more details of the assignment, I want all of you to complete a team building exercise," he began. I could feel myself drifting off to sleep but decided that I might as well try to pay attention. Try, as in no guarantees.

"Now," he continued, "The name of this exercise is 'From Where I Stand.' The goal is to let your partner know essentially what your first impression of them is. You will take turns. The one who goes first will begin with the words 'from where I stand,' and will then proceed to tell the other exactly what they see in the person in front of them. You may begin."

Oh, this was going to be fun. If I hadn't put this kid in his place already, then I was definitely going to now. I gave him a look that made it clear I was going to be going first. Everyone else in the room was talking in a rather low voice, but I decided that I didn't mind being a little louder than them.

"From where I stand," I began sarcastically, mocking the stupid choice of words, "I see a nerdy little kid who I'm _sure_ won't have any problem doing this whole damn project for me." I made sure to sound as intimidating as possible, and from the look on both this kid's face and the shocked expressions I was getting, it worked.

"Your turn," I smirked as I waited for him to say something. I wouldn't be surprised if he was scared shitless right now.

He looked at the ground while mumbling something and I didn't catch a word of it. "You're gonna need to speak a little louder kid," I told him, annoyed now that he couldn't even look at me when he spoke.

This time he looked up and I could see pure, unadulterated anger flash in his eyes. I was almost scared myself.

"I said," he began slowly, "From where I stand, I see a narcissistic, egotistical asshole who thinks he's so much better than everyone else when in reality, he isn't worth the damn ground he walks on!"

I was shocked. No, I was straight up flabbergasted. No one in this school dared to talk to me like that. The class had gone silent and even the teacher was staring in our direction. I think at that moment this kid, er, Edward I guess, finally realized what he just did. His face turned completely red and he put his head down on his desk. The teacher turned back to his computer and the murmurs picked up again. Some people were still trying to do the teacher's exercise, but the majority of the comments were about what just happened.

I didn't know how to react to that. I was sure he'd be too scared to say anything to me, but he just completely blew up in my face. I decided not to say anything to him for the time being and waited until everyone else had finished gossiping or whatever the hell they were supposed to be doing.

A few minutes later the teacher continued to explain the project. There was no way I was going to be able to pay attention to him so I let him drone on while I snuck a quick peek at Edward. He still hadn't lifted his head up.

Once the teacher was done explaining this bullshit to us, the bell rang and he excused us from class. Edward quickly got up and bolted for the door, but not before I grabbed his wrist.

"Hold on there, Edward."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**EPOV**

"I said," I began slowly, "From where I stand, I see a narcissistic, egotistical asshole who thinks he's so much better than everyone else when in reality, he isn't worth the damn ground he walks on!"

The entire class stopped speaking at once and all eyes were on me, even the teacher's. It took me a moment to realize what I had just done and when I did, I quickly put my head down on my desk. I hoped that Jasper would at least wait until after school to kill me.

After a few minutes, the teacher continued to explain the assignment and then finally the bell rang. I quickly got up and gathered my stuff; I had every intention of getting out of there as soon as possible. I had taken one step past my desk when a hand grabbed my wrist and I heard a voice from behind me.

"Hold on there, Edward."

I turned around slowly to see that it was Jasper who had grabbed my wrist, and he had a look of pure hatred on his face. Most of the students had exited the classroom by now and the teacher was talking to one outside. We were the only two left.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?" he asked loudly.

I swallowed and tried to come up with a coherent sentence, but I was much too scared to even think at the moment. If intimidating me was his goal, then he had succeeded.

I decided that I had absolutely nothing to lose.

"I think," I spat at him, jerking my hand out of his grasp, "that I'm the person you're going to have to work with on this project. And you better damn well be prepared to do your share of the work."

With that, I stormed out of the classroom without so much as another look in his direction.

The rest of the school day was as expected. This wasn't a huge school, so rumors spread like wildfire. And by the end of the day, every single person knew what had happened this morning. More than a few people feared for my life. I was one of those people.

After my last class of the day was dismissed, I quickly made my way to the parking lot in hopes of getting out before anything else exciting happened today.

Just as I reached my car and opened the door, a hand reached out from behind me and slammed it shut. I turned around to see Jasper just inches away from me, with some of his football buddies behind him. I prayed for a quick and painless death.

"You know, Cullen," he whispered as his friends inched closer, cracking their knuckles, "if we're going to be working together on this project, then I should probably get your phone number."

He shoved his phone at me and waited. I was just about as shocked as his friends were. They looked at each other as if they had no idea what they were supposed to do next.

I mustered up enough courage to take his phone and program my number into it, and held it back out to him with a shaky hand.

He snatched his phone from me and walked away, not stopping to look at me or his friends.

"Hey man, aren't we-" one of them started to ask.

"We're gonna be late to practice," Jasper cut him off without turning around. He continued to walk back to the school and his friends shrugged before following after him.

I realized that I was breathing heavily and my hands were still shaking, so I sat down in my car and collected myself for a few minutes before beginning the drive home.

My mind was going at a mile a minute as I tried to make sense of what just happened. His friends clearly expected him to beat me up or, something at least. All of that intimidation didn't seem necessary just to ask for my phone number. Besides, we were going to be seeing each other every day for the rest of the year in class. Surely he could have just asked for it then. Things just weren't adding up.

When I got home, I decided that I might as well get a head start on my homework before starting up the old Xbox. If that thing was on, no work was going to get done. That was one of the commandments I think.

I finished every foreseeable homework assignment for the next two weeks in a matter of hours and I was left staring at the project handout from History. The assignment had too many parts to count, but I guess that's what made it a yearlong assignment.

It was essentially a timeline of the Civil War, and we'd have to choose a specific event to focus on by the end of the week. We'd have to sign up for it so that no two groups would be doing the same event.

I briefly considered possible event selections when my phone vibrated. It was a text message from Jasper trying to prove to me that he was psychic. At least, that's what I got from it.

"**Hey asshole. What are we gonna pick for the project?"**

I stared at my phone in disbelief. He was honestly acting as if this morning had never even happened. I decided to play along.

"**I don't know yet. Any suggestions?"**

I'd honestly be surprised if he even knew what the civil war was. His response came quickly enough.

"**I dunno man you're the smart one. Just pick something and tell me what I need to do."**

If I wasn't in shock before, I was now. He was actually acting civil with me. Haha get it? Civil? Civil War? …sorry.

"**So you're okay with whatever I pick? And you'll do whatever I tell you?"**

I knew I was pushing it here but I wanted to see just how far I could go.

"**Yes."**

I smirked at my phone. I was going to have fun with this.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**JPOV**

"I think," he spat at me, jerking his hand out of my grasp, "that I'm the person you're going to have to work with on this project. And you better damn well be prepared to do your share of the work."

With that, he stormed out of the classroom without so much as a backward glance.

I honestly didn't know how to react to that. Everyone in this school knew who I was and no one, _no one _even thought about messing with me. And yet, here was this kid, who decided that he could just say whatever he wanted.

I probably should have been livid at that point, but something about him intrigued me.

I left the classroom to find Rose waiting outside for me.

"Hey babe," I said, taking her hand in mine.

"So what are you gonna do about him?" she asked, knowing very well what had just gone down.

"Dunno," I told her honestly. I really didn't.

"You should just teach him a lesson after school with some of the gang," she suggested, turning to look at me. "He needs to be put in his place."

I considered her suggestion for a moment and then agreed to it. After all, that's what I would do to any other kid who had the nerve to talk back to me.

During lunch, I talked to a couple of my football buddies who were more than willing to join me in teaching this… Edward, a lesson.

When the final bell rang, I made sure I was the first one out of class and saw Edward practically running to the door. I moved quickly after him, my friends now in tow.

We followed him to his car undetected, and when he opened the door, I immediately slammed it shut.

He quickly turned to look at me, fear evident in his eyes.

I think it was at that moment that I realized something.

For whatever reason, I didn't want to hurt him. My mind rapidly flashed to all of the other instances in which I used fear to intimidate people, and I didn't want to be known as just some big bully anymore.

I wanted to get out of here and think this through. The last thing I wanted was to turn into some pussy who went around being nice to everyone because I randomly thought it was a good idea.

"You know, Cullen," I whispered, "if we're going to be working together on this project, then I should probably get your phone number."

It was the best out I could think of.

Edward froze in shock for a moment before shakily taking my phone and programming his number into it. I could practically feel my friends glaring into the back of my head.

When he was done, I snatched it from him and started walking back toward the school without a word.

"Hey man, aren't we-" my friend Emmett began to ask.

"We're gonna be late for practice," I said, effectively cutting him off. Even though our motive for being here was pretty obvious, for some reason I didn't want Edward to hear that we were here to… well, "teach him a lesson."

The following practice was probably the worst one I'd ever had. I was so focused on Edward that I screwed up nearly every play we ran.

It just didn't make sense to me. What made him special? What made him different from every other kid?

Once practice was over and I had received a few less than positive words of encouragement from our coach, I packed up my stuff and headed home.

Normally I'd be celebrating the first day back at school by going to a party and getting shitfaced drunk. It's not like it was uncommon for seniors to skip the second day of school; in fact, it was more like a tradition. But I couldn't be bothered to do anything today.

I grabbed my backpack and took out the sheet explaining our history project. I read through it and realized that I had no idea what to pick as an event. I decided to text Edward.

"**Hey asshole. What are we gonna pick for the project?"**

Sure I may have sounded rude, but I didn't want him to think that we were all buddy buddy now.

"**I don't know yet. Any suggestions?"**

I sighed. It looked like he really wasn't gonna do the whole project for me after all.

"**I dunno man you're the smart one. Just pick something and tell me what I need to do."**

I hoped that he would just give me some simple shit to take care of and do all the hard stuff himself. I mean, it was his grade too.

"**So you're okay with whatever I pick? And you'll do whatever I tell you?"**

I didn't like the tone he was taking with me. I felt like he was asking me about so much more than just this project, but I was too drained to argue with him.

"**Yes."**

He didn't send a text back after that and quite frankly, I didn't care.

My head was a mess of emotions. How could this random nerd completely change my entire outlook on life? As far as I could tell, there was nothing about him that stood out any more than anyone else.

I paced around my room for nearly an hour before I gave up and asked Emmett if he wanted to hang out.

He was loyal if nothing else, and gladly agreed to skip out on the party he was planning to go to.

He showed up a few minutes later and I talked to him about everything that had gone through my head today. When he asked what Edward and I talked about, I tossed him my phone.

"Dude, this looks like he thinks he has some kind of power over you now," he told me, tossing the phone on my bed.

I shrugged, an idea already forming in my mind.

"Then I guess I'll just have to make sure he knows exactly who he's dealing with."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews! I definitely take the time to read each one and I greatly appreciate those who take the time to write one.**

**I own nothing.**

**EPOV**

As I pulled up into the school parking lot, I grew more and more anxious about seeing Jasper again. I was still thoroughly confused about his behavior, but at least he let me pick the event for our project.

I got to class early again and noticed that this time there was a seating chart on the overhead projector. The teacher, er, Mr. Medina, had arranged for us to be sitting directly next to our partners. Great. Just great.

I took my seat, thankfully still near the back of the classroom, and stared out the window as I usually did while waiting for class to fill up. I had completely zoned out when I was brought out of my musings by the distinct sound of an obnoxious jerk laughing.

Jasper entered the room with his hot-as-fuck girlfriend and frowned when he stared at the board. With a quick look in my direction, he kissed Rose and took his seat next to mine. I really didn't have any interest in talking to him, and I hoped he would just keep to himself.

"So did you pick an event?" he asked quietly, not even looking in my direction. Two can play at that game.

"Yep," was my simple response. I kept my head facing the board as well.

"Well? What did you pick?" he asked impatiently.

"It's not like you'd have any idea what it is."

Yeah I know I was being rude, but he started it.

Yes, I know I sound like a five year old child. No one asked you.

He opened his mouth to say something but Mr. Medina walked in at that moment.

"Alright class, I'm glad to see you've found your new seats. Since we're going to be working on this project a lot during the school year, I thought it'd be easier if you sat next to your partners."

"Now, you have until the end of the week to select your specific event, but if you've already decided on it, then please come up and sign this sheet," he said as he left the signup sheet on the edge of his desk.

I immediately got up along with a couple other people to sign the sheet. I got to it first though, so I didn't have to worry about anyone else taking the event I picked.

I sat back down after signing up and completely ignored the fact that Jasper was watching me expectantly.

"You know, if I'm gonna help on the project then I'm gonna need to know what we're doing it on."

I sighed. He had a point.

"We're doing it on the Emancipation Proclamation," I told him, still not bothering to look in his direction. I don't lose games.

"The emanc… eman… what the fuck is that?"

I sighed again, fully expecting this response. I shook my head and was grateful when Mr. Medina began today's lecture.

While taking notes I noticed that Jasper was furiously flipping through his history textbook. I snickered when I realized he was trying to figure out what we were doing our project on. He had clearly never heard of an "index."

When the bell rang, I quickly picked up my belongings and prepared to leave the room. Just like yesterday, Jasper grabbed my wrist to stop me.

I jerked it away and turned to stare at him. "What?" I spat out.

"Hold on," he said, and quickly walked over to where Rose was sitting. He whispered something in her ear and she nodded, and then he came back to me.

"Look, I know I pissed you off yesterday and I'm sorry, but if we're gonna work on this project together then we're gonna need to put that behind us."

Again, he had a point. And he actually apologized. Never thought I'd see the day.

I turned to walk out of the classroom and motioned for him to follow.

Once he caught up to me I started walking toward my next class, which happened to be on the other side of the building. I didn't know where his next class was and quite frankly, I didn't really care. If he wanted to know about our project, then he'd have to deal with it.

"So the Emancipation Proclamation was passed by President Lincoln to free all of the slaves in the confederate states. It was hailed as a major victory in the north but ultimately did very little as…" I trailed off, realizing that he probably couldn't care less about any more of the details.

He frowned and looked down on the ground as we walked. I smirked when I realized how embarrassing it must be for him to be seen walking around with someone like me. Not that I cared.

"Ok so we just have to explain the thing?" he asked.

"Well, we have to explain it, the events leading up to it, and its impact on the rest of the war."

"Oh."

I was afraid that I was going to end up doing all of the work anyway. This guy was hopeless.

We walked in silence the rest of the way and I stopped when I came to my class.

"Well this is my next class. See you later," I told him before walking in. He looked as if he wanted to say something else but, much like everything else he did, I really didn't care.

In the middle of my next class I felt my phone vibrate. I cursed silently, since I always remember to turn it off. I couldn't resist the urge to check who had sent me a message, so while the teacher wrote something on the board, I quickly took my phone out of my pocket.

"**So what do I need to do for this project? I want to do my part."**

I did not understand this guy at all. He went from wanting me to do the whole thing to wanting to do "his part."

"**Relax, we have all year to do this. I need to figure out exactly what we're going to do first. Why are you so anxious to get started anyway?"**

His response came almost instantly.

"**So I can spend more time with you."**

What. The. Fuck.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**JPOV**

It was time to put my plan into action.

"**So I can spend more time with you."**

I smirked as I watched the message send. Rosalie was a genius for coming up with a plan like this.

I shoved my phone back into my pocket without waiting for a response; I didn't need one.

The rest of the school day passed by in a blur the way it always does for me and I found myself leaving my last class of the day. I saw Edward practically running out of the building, but not before I caught his gaze. He looked at me for not even half a second before he looked away and practically sprinted out the door.

I smirked again as Rose came up behind me and giggled while watching Edward leave.

"So, I see you took my expert advice," she said, her hands on her hips as she watched the door.

"That I did, babe," I said as I put my arm around her shoulder. We walked out of the building and I only briefly noticed Emmett staring at me with a disapproving look on his face.

I dropped Rose off at home then pulled up to my own house when I pulled my phone out. I saw the expected message from Edward. I did not, however, expect the words that were in the message.

"**Oh good, me too."**

Wait, what? Now I was completely lost. Was he actually saying he was into me that way? That fucked up the entire plan. Or wait, did it?

I thought for a moment. If he really was some kind of fag that was into me that way, then that made this so much easier.

I was lost in my thoughts when I felt my phone vibrate in my hand. It was a message from Emmett.

"**Hey bro can I come over? I need to talk to you."**

Well that was odd. Emmett was always one of those guys you go to talk to, not someone who asks you to talk. I told him to come on over; it wasn't like I had anything better to do.

A few minutes later I heard my doorbell ring. I greeted Emmett and we went back up to my room.

"So what's up man?" I asked, still slightly worried.

"This plan of yours involving Edward. Stop," he told me flatly.

I glared in response. Even if he was a "friend" of mine, he should have known better than to question me.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Rose told me your little game," Emmett told me, crossing his arms. "And I don't like it."

"What, are you some kind of fag too?" I blurted out, before I could even think about what I was saying.

He clenched and his fist and his jaw tightened and for a moment, I almost thought he was going to punch me.

He was silent for a minute before he looked directly at me and said, "No, but my brother is. And I've had enough of people bullying him."

I stared at him, debating whether or not he was telling the truth about his brother. I thought back to the few times I had met him and it did seem to be a definite possibility. I didn't see what that had to do with Edward though.

"Unless your brother is Edward, I don't see what this has to do with anything," I spat at him, annoyed that he thought he could just question me whenever he wanted.

"Just because it doesn't involve my brother doesn't mean it's not wrong! Your plan to expose Edward as gay, whether it's true or not, is still bullying!"

My eyes narrowed at him. "And since when have you had a problem with that?" I asked him. "If I recall, you've always been there when we needed to put people in their place."

Emmett visibly winced at my statement and looked out my window. "Maybe I'm trying to change," he murmured as he turned and left.

His last words repeated themselves in my head for hours. Just yesterday I had this inexplicable urge to change who I was, but I brushed that off. And now Emmett says the same thing to me?

I looked at my phone and debated telling Edward that I was joking earlier, but I decided against it. Regardless of what Emmett thought, for now, I was going to continue on with this little game of mine.

The next morning I ended up getting ready almost an hour before my first class started. I knew that Edward always got there early, so I didn't bother leaving yet. I needed him to be there before me.

After wasting enough time lounging around, I headed to school. As I walked through the hallway toward class, I noticed Emmett and Rose talking outside the door. I considered stopping to talk to them, but I had more important things to do.

As I walked into class, I saw Edward looking out the window as he does every morning for whatever reason. He looked directly at me as I approached my seat next to his and I winked at him.

He appeared to blush before turning to stare back out the window. Man, this was going to be so much easier than I thought.

I "accidentally" brushed his shoulder with my arm as I walked past his desk to sit in my own. I thought I saw him shudder at the touch, but by the time I looked at him again he seemed perfectly calm.

I smirked to myself as the teacher began to check attendance.

Edward eyed me warily while I continued to stare at the board as if nothing had happened. After a few minutes I noticed him pull out his cell phone and read a text message. Curiosity got the better of me and I leaned over to see if I could read it.

My eyes widened and my breath hitched. I only saw two words before he quickly shoved the phone back in his pocket.

"_Sender: Emmett"_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**EPOV**

I stared at my phone as I sent my reply.

"**Oh good, me too."**

I didn't know what his game was, but I hoped my unexpected reply would catch him off guard long enough for me to think.

As my last class ended, I rushed out of the classroom and only briefly caught a glimpse of Jasper as I left.

I rushed home and read over our assigned reading chapters to distract myself. Then I read them again. And again. And after I had practically memorized the assigned reading for the rest of the year, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID but didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" I answered cautiously.

"Hey. Is this Edward?"

The voice sounded familiar but I couldn't place exactly where I had heard it.

"Yes," I replied, not willing to provide any more information.

"Okay good. This is Emmett, a friend of Jasper's."

It hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized just where I had heard his voice before. He was one of the guys that Jasper brought with him when they came to… do whatever it is they were going to do at the school parking lot.

"What do you want?" I asked, trying to keep my voice flat. I didn't need him to know that I was afraid of him. Not that I was, of course. Not at all.

"Look, I know we didn't exactly get off on the right foot, but I really need to talk to you. Can we meet up somewhere?"

He had to be kidding if he thought I was seriously willing to talk to him outside of school.

"Whatever you need to say you can say on the phone," I answered.

He sighed, but didn't argue the point with me. "Look man, Jasper and his girlfriend are trying to set you up in some elaborate scheme. What they're going to do-"

"I know," I replied, cutting him off. I hadn't known for sure actually, but this information confirmed my suspicions.

"You know?" he asked incredulously.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but they want to set up a situation that makes me seem gay and then 'out' me to the entire school."

"Yeah, but how did you…" he trailed off.

I was glad to have confirmed my theory, but now I had another problem.

"So, Emmett," I sneered. "Why exactly are you telling me this?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I shook my head, knowing full well that he couldn't see me do it.

"You're his friend, right? So why are you telling me about his plans? Shouldn't you be helping him?

"I…" he began, "I don't know. I don't like what he's doing. You're right, any other time I would have been backing him up one hundred percent. But this just doesn't feel right."

I accepted his explanation, for now. After a few more meaningless words I hung up on him.

It was time for me to come up with my own plan.

* * *

I woke up the next morning with multiple nefarious schemes running through my head, and I was more excited than I had been in a long, long time.

Yes, I know I'm not normal. No, nobody asked you.

As I waited for class to begin, I pretty much expected Jasper's wink as he walked through the door. I also wasn't terribly surprised when Jasper "accidentally" brushed my shoulder as he sat down.

I decided that it was time to put at least one of my plans into action. Now don't get me wrong, I do appreciate that Emmett had helped me out. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to get him back as well.

Before I hung up on him last night, I asked Emmett to text me a homework assignment for a class I wasn't even in. I just needed a message from him.

Once the teacher started checking attendance, I pulled out my phone and opened the message Emmett had sent me. I covered the text of the message with my finger but tilted it just enough so that Jasper's wandering eyes could see who sent it.

And when I saw the shocked expression on his face, I knew he had seen it. I smirked to myself as I shoved my phone back in my pocket.

When we were directed to discuss project ideas with our partners, I started rambling information off to Jasper while pulling out my phone every few minutes. I'd pretend to send a message and it didn't take a genius to figure out that Jasper thought I was texting Emmett.

He tried to take notes on what I was telling him but it was obvious he was distracted. He'd stare at me as I pretended to type a message and continue to stare at me for several seconds after I was done.

After about the eighth fake message, he'd had enough.

"Who are you talking to that's so important?" he snapped at me.

I put my phone back into my pocket and looked at him with a blank expression.

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently.

"I'm trying to understand what I need to do for this project but you just keep pulling your phone out! I know you're insanely smart and know all of this already but I don't, so please, just help me out here."

I can't really explain what happened next. It was as if I experienced a wave of… sympathy for him. After he went through the trouble to try to publicly humiliate me, why was I feeling bad for him now?

I brushed the thought aside and decided that I had tortured him enough for one class period and rambled on about everything else that would need to be done for the project. He actually listened and took detailed notes.

When class was over, he was the one to rush out of the classroom without so much as a backward glance.

As for me, I was pissed at myself. Why the hell did I let him off so easy? Why was I feeling sorry for this jerk who wants nothing more than to put me in my place?

I felt the answer creeping up from the back of my mind, but I wasn't even remotely willing to deal with it.

Not right now, anyway.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**JPOV**

He was talking to Emmett. He had to be. But what could they be talking about?

Emmett was someone I thought I could trust. Would he really go to Edward and tell him about the entire plan? Up until yesterday, my answer to that would have been a resounding "hell no." But after our argument, I wouldn't put it past him.

I tried to ignore whatever conversation Edward may or may not be having and did my best to focus on the project at hand. Which really wasn't easy considering every time I was sufficiently distracted by my work, he'd whip out his phone and start texting right in front of my face.

"Who are you talking to that's so important?" I finally snapped at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Oh you fucking know exactly what I mean.

"I'm trying to understand what I need to do for this project but you just keep pulling your phone out! I know you're insanely smart and know all of this already but I don't, so please, just help me out here." I was practically begging, but I didn't care.

To my disbelief, he actually put his phone away and started to go through the project information with me. I did my best to pay attention and took as many notes as I could. I had meant it when I told him I wanted to do my fair share of the work.

When class ended, I sped out of the classroom, hoping to find Emmett before my next class started. It wasn't until I had actually stepped foot outside that I realized I didn't have a clue what class he had next or where he would even be. I'd have to wait until lunch then.

I heard Rose calling out to me but I ignored her and walked straight to my next class. I sat down and pulled out my phone, debating the best way to word the message I wanted to send to Emmett. I decided to be eloquent about it.

"**Dude, what the fuck?"**

Barely a minute had passed before I had my response.

"**What?"**

I narrowed my eyes at the phone. There were a couple of possibilities here. Either he was intentionally playing dumb in the hopes that I would drop it, or he had no idea that I knew.

"**Explain why Edward Cullen has a fucking text message from you."**

"**He was asking about a homework assignment, that's all."**

Even if that was true, it didn't really answer my question.

"**Why do you have his phone number in the first place? Since when are you two friends? As far as I know, you had no idea who he was before the parking lot incident."**

I didn't get a response to that one. I ignored the fact that class had started and sent him another message several minutes later. Still no response.

I angrily shoved my phone into my pocket and stared ahead. I didn't care what this class was even supposed to be about today. I had other things to think about.

First was Edward. I hadn't forgotten the way he had made me feel in the parking lot. He made me feel like I wanted to change and be a… better person? Who the fuck was he to make me want to change myself? And now it seems as if he knows what my plan is. I need to figure out what he's gonna do about it so I know what to do about him.

Then there's Emmett. The guy I never thought would betray me. And yet, even though I don't have any definitive proof, all signs point to him siding with Edward. Why would he do that to me?

I spent my next few classes lost in thought. When it was finally time for lunch I met up with Rose in front of the cafeteria and we sat at our usual table. She tried asking what happened to me this morning, but I brushed her off. Rose was my trump card. I'd talk to her about this if and when I figured out everything that was going on inside my head.

Five minutes into the lunch break, there was still no sign of Emmett. Which was strange. He'd never missed a lunch period in his entire high school career. Students had other options during the break. Some chose to go to the library or go to a class to make up any work they may be behind on.

Emmett was never one to miss an opportunity to eat. His absence all but declared his guilt in my book.

"Rose, I think Emmett might have told Edward about our little plan," I told her.

"I'm not surprised," she responded nonchalantly. I gave her a confused look.

"He told me this morning that he didn't like what we were doing and said that we shouldn't go through with it. He told me he talked to you and that you wouldn't listen."

So that was the conversation I missed this morning. "And what did you say?"

She shrugged. "I told him that he should mind his own fucking business. Who the hell does he think he is, trying to tell us not to go through with it?

And this is why I loved Rose. Even Emmett, as intimidating as he was, couldn't make Rose back down. She wasn't one to put up with anyone's bullshit.

We talked about less pressing matters for the rest of the lunch period and walked together to our next class. I still didn't have a clue where Emmett might be, and I figured that there wasn't anything I could do about it at the moment.

Just as we turned the corner into a hallway, we saw Emmett and Edward talking in hushed tones near the end of the corridor.

Emmett quickly looked up and glared at Rose, who was giving him an evil smirk. My eyes were locked on Edward's, whose smirk was no less evil.

This showdown had only just begun.

* * *

**Reviews are the source of a writer's motivation :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**EPOV**

I shoved aside the thoughts that continued to hound me and wondered why Jasper had left the classroom in such a rush. Not that I cared. It doesn't matter what he does. I don't care.

I casually gathered my things and left the classroom, only to see Rosalie staring at me with her arms folded.

"I think it has been made abundantly clear that we're not particularly fond of you, and I couldn't care less if you felt the same. But don't you dare put Jasper's grade on the line," she threatened.

I was amused and terrified at the same time. The last thing I expected was for Rose to step up and fight her boyfriend's battles.

"And just what are you going to do about it?" I asked her, taking a huge risk in doing so. I had an idea of what she might be capable of. But I wasn't about to back down now.

I expected her to break into a righteous fury at my response, but she instead kept the same sweet smile she had on.

"I suppose you're just going to have to find out. You and Emmett both."

Her note about Emmett was probably meant to make me flinch, but I held her unwavering gaze with my own polite smile. Apparently satisfied, Rose turned and walked away.

I was freaking out on the inside, but I couldn't let her see that. Besides, I had plans to make.

In the middle of my second class, the teacher began reviewing things I had memorized years ago. Bored, I took out my phone and noticed I had a message from Emmett. I chuckled at the irony of him sending me a message after I had been pretending to converse with him all morning.

"**Dude, Jasper knows that I've been talking to you."**

I almost wanted to tell him that he was a little late to that party, but I restrained myself.

"**So does Rose, apparently. She threatened me after our first class today."**

I knew I'd need to get Emmett fully on my side so that I could counter whatever Jasper had planned. I was smart, but there's only so much intelligence can do against an army of football players and cheerleaders.

"**Yeah we talked this morning. Dude, we need to find a way to stop this. Or even better, turn this around on them."**

Well that was easier than I thought it would be. We agreed to meet in the library during lunch. Emmett mentioned that he would need to avoid Jasper for a while, so the cafeteria wasn't an option.

The rest of my classes flew by and before I knew it, I was meeting up with Emmett. I briefly wondered what his football buddies would think of him hanging out with a nerd, but he didn't seem to even take that into consideration.

We sat down at a table in an uncomfortable silence for a minute before I spoke up.

"So Emmett," I began, "before we get down to business, I have a question to ask you."

He watched me expectantly but otherwise remained silent.

"Why are you doing this? I know you're one of Jasper's best friends. So I don't understand why you're taking my side."

He shifted uncomfortably for a moment before sighing.

"It's not so much about you as it is the subject of their plan. See, my brother recently came out and he has already gotten way too much shit about it. I don't think it's right that people make fun of someone for something as meaningless as their sexuality. But even more than that, I've seen firsthand just how bad that bullying can get."

His explanation only served to confuse me more.

"Wait a minute. I'm not gay though. That's all part of the-"

"I don't care if you are or not, it's just that Jasper seems to think it's okay to say that you are and then harass you for it. I don't agree with that. Sure, in the past, that's something I may have joined him in doing. But it took my brother coming out for me to see how wrong this all is. So if you really want my motivation in this, I guess it's to teach Jasper a lesson."

I accepted his answer as truth; I didn't think he was smart enough to lie to me. It was a good enough reason too, one that would ensure he didn't change his mind about whose side he was on.

We discussed our options but it became increasingly clear that we simply didn't have enough information to go on. We knew what Jasper was planning, but that was pretty much it. We didn't know how he was planning to do it or who else he would get involved.

Near the end of the lunch period, we had started talking about more mundane things, even going as far as to talk about how school was going. It was strange. I actually felt like the two of us could become friends despite our positions in the high school hierarchy. I hated that such a menial thing could be keeping me from meeting some pretty awesome people.

We ended up talking all the way to my next class. Class didn't start for a few more minutes so we continued our conversation by the door.

"So," Emmett lowered his voice, "do we have any definite plans of action yet?"

I thought for a moment. As much as I didn't like what I was about to say, I couldn't see any other options.

"I think we need to let them make the first move. We really don't have anything to go on right now, and…"

I trailed off when I saw Emmett's head jerk up. I followed his gaze and saw Jasper and Rosalie staring at us. Rose gave Emmett a sickeningly sweet smile to which Emmett didn't even flinch.

I mirrored Rosalie's expression and directed it to Jasper, who was now glaring back at me.

This showdown had only just begun.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**JPOV**

I had severely underestimated Emmett.

I knew that Edward was smart. I was worried that when he found out what I was planning, he'd retaliate in some way. But the last thing I suspected was for Emmett to do something first.

* * *

Rose told me that this was a "subtle process," and even though I didn't really know what she meant by that, I just kept my mouth shut and did what she told me to. The first thing she told me to do was to start spreading rumors about Edward to my football buddies. Thanks to the parking lot incident, all of them knew who he was.

I sat down next to Jacob during lunch. He was always the first one on the team to the cafeteria. He even beat out Emmett.

Jacob eyed me curiously but quickly returned to his meal as I thought once more about what Rose told me.

"Hey man," I said to Jacob, hoping to get his attention.

"Sup," he replied noncommittally.

"Dude I gotta tell you this. You know my partner on that history project, Edward? Well…" I trailed off when I saw Jacob's eyes narrow at me.

"Yeah…" he said expectantly. I didn't understand what the look was for but decided that it probably didn't have anything to do with me.

"He's a fag dude, he's been checking me out nonstop since we starting working together," I told him, proud of myself for carrying out Rose's plan successfully.

While I didn't know each individual guy's feelings, I figured that my team in general would be homophobic. Surprisingly enough, I really wasn't, but it's not like I was going to admit that right now.

"You know, I never knew you could be this much of an ass," was Jacob's response as he picked up his tray and started walking away from the table.

"Wait, what the fuck are you talking about?" I called after him, realizing a bit late that I was speaking too loud. Thankfully none of the faculty members heard me.

He dumped his tray and came back to stand next to where I was sitting.

"Emmett told me you were gonna tell me some shit like that but I didn't believe him. Well, I didn't believe him until right now."

I was shocked. I didn't think that Emmett would tell the team about this. Even if he did, I never thought the team would take his side instead of mine.

"You know about Emmett's brother, don't you?" he asked. I didn't reply.

"It's fucking tough for him, man. He has to deal with so much shit that you can't even imagine. Even if this Cullen kid is gay, I wouldn't have a problem with it. So you can keep your bullshit to yourself."

With that, he left me sitting there speechless. The plan had backfired before it had even begun.

Lunch had barely started and none of my other teammates had shown up yet. I took this opportunity to call Rose. At this moment I was glad for my school's lax cell phone rules during the lunch break.

"I'm on my way, don't be so impatient," was her answer. She was never one for "hi" or "hello."

"Rose, I did what you said and told Jacob, but he told me Emmett told him I would try to pull something like that and Jacob just yelled at me and left. What do I do?" I knew she'd be able to tell from my tone that I was freaking out.

"Calm down. Jacob is only one guy. When the rest of them come, do it again. Tom is the biggest homophobe I've ever known. He'll have to say something about it."

I agreed and waited. A few minutes later, Rose had arrived along with most of the team. Once Tom was there, I decided that my best course of action would be to direct the conversation at him. I looked at Rose and nodded my head toward Tom, and she nodded her head in agreement.

"So Tom, you know my partner on that history project, Edward? Well-"

"Shove it, faggot," he said, cutting me off with a disgusted look.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Rose demanded. I was thankful that she had stepped in because I was stunned. Again.

Even though Tom was probably twice Rose's size, I could still see the intimidating effect she had on him. He cowered slightly but still didn't hold back in his answer.

"Emmett told us all that he's spreading rumors about this Cullen kid because he's hiding in the closet himself," Tom said, still glaring at me.

The rest of the table remained silent, though none of them would look at me.

"Oh, so Emmett tells you that and you just fucking believe him?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, we do," Jason chimed in. All eyes were on him now. "Hell, Rose, you told me when they were assigned partners for the project that he made his hatred of Jasper clear."

Never in the many years I'd known her had I seen Rose nervous. But at that moment, she was. And for some reason, I had a feeling I was missing something here.

I looked back at Jason. I didn't even know he had ever spoken to Rosalie. I wondered why she would have told him something like that.

"What, got nothing to say?"

I looked back at Tom who was giving me a challenging glare.

"I'm not gay," I told him simply. I debated walking away, but that would be admitting defeat.

Rose, however, had other ideas. She immediately got up and pulled me along with her. Once outside the cafeteria, she continued to storm down the hallway until she unexpectedly froze.

I almost bumped into her but stopped in time. I followed her gaze forward and froze myself when I saw Edward standing there.

He was leaning against a locker with a smug look on his face.

"You know, I was expecting this to be more fun," he said noncommittally before he turned around and walked away.

"This isn't over!" Rose yelled after a few seconds of silence.

But Edward was already long gone.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**EPOV**

I'm not a bad person. At least I try not to be. But let's be honest here; I'm not the one who started this whole fiasco.

My plan worked flawlessly. Remember when I told Emmett that I thought we should wait until Jasper and Rosalie made the first move? Well I lied.

Emmett and I met up in the library after school that day and I asked him if I could borrow his phone to call my parents. He tossed it to me without hesitation and I quickly got to work.

I scrolled through the numbers in the phone until I found one I recognized: Jacob Black. I knew he was on the football team with Jasper and I had heard enough about him to guess that he wouldn't have a problem with people being gay.

I looked up at Emmett and was relieved to see that his attention span was as short as ever. He was playing with some pop-up book he found and didn't notice what I was doing. Setting the phone on my leg under the table, I quickly typed a message to Jacob.

"**Hey Jacob. Jasper has been going around telling all of the guys that his partner on the history project is gay. I know the kid and it's not true. I wonder why he's doing it."**

I sent the message and momentarily freaked out. I realized that I didn't really know how Emmett sounded in a text message to one of the guys and I prayed that Jacob wouldn't figure it out.

The response came sooner than expected. At this point, Emmett had found the sequel to the pop-up book.

"**Jasper's not like that man. It's not cool of you to try to spread shit about him. Aren't you two tight?"**

I realized that this was going to become a full fledged conversation so instead of responding, I deleted the messages from his inbox as well as his sent box. I didn't feel the need to reply anyway; the seed had already been planted.

I looked through Emmett's contacts list again, this time looking for one specific person. One specific, homophobic, anti-gay person.

I smirked when I saw Tom's name. I glanced at Emmett before beginning the message, but my head jerked back up when I realized he was doing.

Apparently he had gotten bored of reading the books and was now constructing a building out of them. I shook my head and returned to the task at hand.

"**Tom. So I found out that Jasper is gay. He's trying to tell people that this Cullen kid is a fag so that no one knows he is."**

I figured that would be good enough. I knew that kind of message wouldn't get me anywhere with Jacob. But Tom was a different story completely.

Once again the response came much quicker than I had expected it to. I briefly wondered if these football guys made up the whole "having a life" outside of school thing.

"**You'd better be fuckin lyin to me."**

I deleted the messages and set the phone on the table. My job here was done.

I looked up again and had to concentrate to control my laughter. Emmett's building had collapsed and he was now getting a stern "talking to" by the librarian. He had his best puppy dog face on and it was actually working.

I gave him back his phone when he returned and I told him that I had to go home. We agreed to meet up again at some point tomorrow and then said our goodbyes. It was mildly amusing because I wasn't sure Emmett would want anything to do with me by then.

Like I've said before, I really don't have anything against Emmett. He just happened to be a convenient pawn at this point in the game.

* * *

During lunch the next day, I patiently waited outside the cafeteria. I knew that the lunch break was the time when the football players all came together. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I was sure something had to happen. And happen it did.

I was leaning back against the lockers in the hallway when I heard loud footsteps along with angry muttering. I looked up and smirked when I saw a fuming Rosalie followed by a stunned Jasper.

Rose finally looked up and fixed her eyes on mine. If looks could kill…

Jasper nearly bumped into her before looking up at me as well. His expression hadn't changed.

"You know, I was expecting this to be more fun," I told them as I turned to walk away. As I rounded the corner, I heard Rose yell something about it "not being over" but we both knew I had won.

As I settled into my next class, I found myself unable to concentrate on anything that the teacher was saying. I assumed it was just the rush of victory that had me so distracted. I loved to win.

But as I thought about it more, I began to realize that something wasn't right. When I had looked at the expression on Rose's face, I felt the same thing I feel when I take down a particularly tough opponent on any given Xbox game. She had lost, I had won, and I was damn proud of myself.

But when I thought about Jasper, I didn't feel that way. In fact, I almost felt… sorry for him.

What the hell is wrong with me? I went through the entire past few weeks again in my head and even when I came back to today, I was actually upset that I had brought myself to hurt Jasper.

My head started to pound as I tried to figure out what this could mean.

Despite the fact that Jasper had gone out of his way to try to publicly humiliate me and all I did was retaliate, I felt bad for him.

I almost wanted to apologize to him.

Why? Why did I suddenly care so much? In the time we've known each other he hasn't given me a single good reason to consider him even an acquaintance.

Could it be that I…?


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**EPOV**

_Could it be that I…?_

My thoughts were interrupted by the vibrating in my pocket. I pulled out my phone to see a text message from Emmett.

"**After school. Library. Don't even think about ditching."**

I smirked slightly. So he found out what I did. I suppose it was only a matter of time. I put my phone away and did my best to concentrate on today's lecture. I had a fairly good idea of what I was going to tell Emmett, so I didn't dwell on that for too long.

I walked into the library after school and looked around. It didn't take me long to find Emmett seated at a table near the back of the room. He was staring out the window, apparently in his own little world.

He looked up at me with a blank expression when I approached him. Before I could even begin the clever explanation I had come up with, he was standing up and his fist was flying across my face.

I lost my balance from the impact and stared at Emmett as I struggled to get up. He maintained his blank expression and instead of hitting me again (like I fully expected him to), he picked up his backpack and left.

I just watched the door he left through while I tried to regain my composure. I'm sure that I had that coming at some point so I guess I couldn't be too upset about it, but Emmett didn't even seem angry. I wanted to ask him what that was about, but I figured we weren't on talking terms at the moment.

I rubbed my jaw, wincing slightly from the pain. I guess I took the hit pretty well. I hadn't ever been in a fight before so I was just proud of myself for not fainting or something.

I drove home and spent the rest of the day as I usually did. I finished my homework quickly and then proceeded to mindlessly play video games until it was time to sleep. I was glad that the drama involving Jasper was over. Now we just had to get along well enough to work on that damn project.

* * *

When I walked into class the next morning, something seemed off. I was the first one there as I usually was, so I wasn't exactly sure what had me thinking that. I took my seat and zoned out. I was called back into reality when the teacher slammed the door shut, indicating that it was time for class to start.

I began to pull out my books when I realized that there was no one sitting next to me today. It took me another second to realize that the one sitting next to me was supposed to be Jasper. I looked around the classroom to see if Jasper had decided to sit somewhere else, but he was nowhere to be found.

I briefly considered that his absence today was due to the hell I'm sure I put him through yesterday. I felt a surge of pride when I remembered what happened, but that was immediately followed by an immense feeling of guilt.

I grew irritated with myself again. I didn't understand why I would feel guilty at all. I never even liked the guy.

I forced myself to focus on taking notes. I was actually pretty into it when the bell rang. I looked up in a daze and was quickly reminded of Jasper's absence. I shrugged it off and left for my next class.

While walking there, I saw Rose and Emmett talking in the corner of a hallway. I inconspicuously made my way closer to them and tried to listen in.

"…and I didn't see him at all. I don't know what's going on, Em."

"What exactly did he say? I haven't even talked to him since last week."

"Nothing, that's the problem! We were supposed to meet last night but he didn't show up. He didn't call and when I tried to call him I got his voicemail. No one answered when I went by his house. None of this would have happened if you didn't pull that shit with-"

"I told you, Edward did that. He told me he needed to call his parents so I gave him my phone. I didn't know he was gonna do anything else."

"Well what am I supposed to do now?"

"Why do you even care? It's not like I don't know about you and-"

The rest of Emmett's sentence was cut off by the warning bell. I all but ran to my classroom to avoid being seen.

That conversation definitely gave me something to think about. If I was feeling guilty about Jasper earlier, it was twice as bad now. I eventually stopped thinking about it when I realized there wasn't anything I could do to fix it anyway. I was probably the last person he wanted to talk to.

I spent a few minutes talking to the teacher after class let out. Once our conversation was over, I grabbed my bag and turned to leave the classroom. I had barely stepped foot outside when I was practically being dragged toward the end of the hallway.

"What the hell?" I asked when I pulled my arm out of Emmett's grip.

His blank expression from yesterday was replaced with one of genuine concern.

"You need to find Jasper and talk to him," he demanded, the urgency evident in his voice.

I looked at him incredulously. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

"Look, Rose hasn't heard from him since yesterday and he won't answer her calls or mine. Make up an excuse like working on the project or something, it doesn't matter."

"And what makes you think he'd even want to talk to me?"

"Just try. Please."

Now I felt three times as guilty as I did this morning. I was sure that Jasper would ignore me so I typed out a message asking Jasper if he wanted to work on the project today. I showed Emmett my phone's screen before sending it.

I was surprised when I got a response almost instantly.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**EPOV**

I had to do a double take when I saw who the message was from. Of all people, why would Jasper want to talk to me?

His reply was simple yet... strange.

"Suuure buddy!"

I slowly held out my phone for Emmett to see. His expression made him look just as confused as I felt.

"So you're gonna go right?"

I blinked. Emmett still seemed to have this idea that Jasper wanted to see me. But it's not like his text message indicated otherwise.

"I guess?" It was more of a question than an answer, but I wasn't really sure what else to say at the moment.

Emmett nodded his head in approval and walked away.

* * *

I pulled up to Jasper's house and began to wonder once again just what I was doing here. It still made absolutely no sense that Jasper had responded to me of all people.

I decided to be as professional about this as humanly possible. Today would be all about the project. Nothing else.

I rang the doorbell and waited anxiously. I wasn't sure what to expect when the door opened, but it certainly wasn't what I found.

Jasper opened the door and immediately pulled me into a tight hug.

"Edward!" he practically yelled as he crushed me to him. It was difficult to remain standing as he leaned his entire body into mine.

"Jasper what the hell?" I struggled to break free but he wasn't having any of that.

"I missssed you. You smell good." he mumbled as he maintained his death grip on me.

I was about to ask him what the hell was wrong with him when I noticed the faint smell of alcohol. I finally managed to loosen his grip and looked at his face as I did so. He was beyond wasted.

"You're drunk," I deadpanned, feeling the need to state the obvious.

"Yup," he said proudly while flashing me a goofy grin. He tried to hug me again but I sidestepped him and did my best to suppress a laugh when his he banged his head into the door.

"Why'd you move?" he asked as he turned around, looking genuinely upset.

"Why'd you try to hug me?" I wasn't going to tell him that it actually felt really good when he did. I also wasn't going to tell him that I wanted to hug him again. I was too busy yelling at myself for liking it.

"Because I want to," he pouted. He took another step toward me and I moved aside again. This time there was no door to break his fall this time, so I took pity on him and grabbed his arm to steady him before his face became well acquainted with the floor.

"You did it again!" he accused. "You're mean."

I was growing more annoyed by the second. Not at him for being drunk. At myself for thinking that the face he was making was "adorable."

"Well you're obviously drunk and there's no way we're going to be able to work on the project today. So I'm just gonna leave."

I turned to walk out the door when I felt him grab my wrist.

"Please don't leave me."

I turned to give him a look that told him he was being ridiculous but one look at his face left me speechless. He looked like he honestly wanted me to stay. And I didn't think that was easy to pull off considering how drunk he was.

"I'll help you, promise," he slurred while still giving me a hopeful look.

I sighed and relented, hoping that he'd pass out soon. I really did want to get this project out of the way, but Jasper said he'd do his part on it, and I planned to hold him to that.

"Fine. Where's your room?"

This time when he pulled me in for a hug, I was too surprised to move away.

"Thank you! I'll help, promise. Just tell me what to do me. I mean me to do. To do me sounds bad right? S'fun to say though. Like if todome was one word that meant something cool. S'funny and…"

I stared at him incredulously as he contemplated something.

"I think squirrels are actually cats like, undercover," he told me, looking as if he'd just figured out the secret to the universe.

I couldn't hold back any longer. At that point I just burst into near hysterical laughter as Jasper frowned at me.

"S'not funny. You won't never see a cat and a squirrel in the same place."

I considered telling him about the double negative he used that actually made his sentence correct, but I figured he would have no idea what I was talking about.

"Okay Jasper. Where do you want to work?"

He beamed at me, apparently proud of himself for "winning" that argument. He started walking up the stairs and I just shook my head and followed him. I had to catch him when he tripped. Twice. He's lucky the stairs were narrow.

He walked down a hallway at the top of the stairs and opened the door to the last room.

"My roombed," he announced while making an exaggerated bowing gesture. His brow creased as he stood up straight and looked at me.

"I mean my bedroom," he corrected himself while attempting to bow once again. This time he fell flat on his face and I didn't even try to hide my amusement.

I expected him to get up and frown at me for laughing at him again, but he didn't. When he finally picked himself off the ground he just looked at me.

"I like when you laugh. S'nice."

He turned around and started arguing with the wall when he couldn't find the light switch. I tried to ignore the last thing he said to me and I was doing a fairly good job of it. Of course Jasper couldn't just let that go.

He finally found the light switch and immediately plopped down on his bed. I shook my head once again at his antics and sat down at his desk. I was pulling my history book out when I caught Jasper looking at me.

I raised an eyebrow at him but he didn't even flinch. Instead he said something that completely caught me off guard once again.

"I love you, Edward."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**EPOV**

"I love you, Edward."

I froze, the textbook in my hands still hovering above the desk. He couldn't have possibly meant what he just said.

I slowly turned my head in his direction only to find him staring at me intently. "Um… what?" I managed to croak out.

"I love you."

"Y-you're drunk," was the best reply I could come up with.

Instead of responding, he slowly got up off the bed. I'm not sure what I expected him to do, but I was surprised when he walked past me and started digging through his closet. A minute later he pulled out a stuffed bear.

"I love you, Mr. Snuggles," he said as he stared at the bear.

I was still too shocked to properly react to the scene unfolding before me. Jasper finally turned and held out the bear to me.

"Edward, this is Mr. Snuggles. He's my best friend."

And I lost it. I literally fell off the chair laughing. Just when I thought I had calmed myself down, I heard Jasper reassuring the bear that I wasn't laughing at him, and my fits of hysteria started all over again.

All it took was one look at Jasper to sober me up. He was sitting in his bed hugging the bear and he was actually… crying.

"Hey, Jasper, what's wrong?" I asked, getting up off the floor.

"You're laughing at me."

"I'm sorry. You're talking to an inanimate object though."

"He's not a naminat…inamat… he's my best friend."

I thought for a moment. Even though Jasper was most likely letting the alcohol do the talking for him, there had to be a reason that bear was in his closet in the first place.

"He can't be your best friend. He's not even real."

"S'real enough to me," he mumbled, hugging the bear closer to him. I felt a brief pang of something I couldn't really name when I saw him do that. I quickly assured myself that I was definitely NOT jealous of that bear and I most certainly did NOT want that to be me he was hugging instead.

I could see that on some level, Jasper had an emotional connection to the stuffed animal.

"So, um… does Mr. Snuggles have a first name?" I asked cautiously, not wanting to upset him again.

"Alfredo!" he replied cheerfully. I was getting better at stifling my laughs. This conversation was good practice.

"Alfredo… Snuggles?"

"Yup. He likes that name. I like it too. S'like, foreign and shit."

I didn't really have a response to that so I tuned out the conversation he was having with Mr. Snuggles and tried to be at least somewhat productive.

Almost twelve seconds had passed by before Jasper made his presence known once again. I had just opened my history book when a pillow hit me in the back of the head. I turned around to yell at Jasper only to receive another pillow, this time to the face.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked, tossing the pillow back on his bed.

"Wanna talk to you," he mumbled, still holding on to Alfredo.

I sighed and resigned myself to the fact that I would just be entertaining Jasper until he passed out.

"Okay, about what?"

"Who's your best friend?" he asked excitedly.

I struggled with the answer to that. Truth be told, I didn't really have anyone that I would call a friend, let alone a "best" friend. My social life consisted entirely of the people I talked to online, and I guess I didn't really "know" any of them. I decided to change the topic before I started wallowing in my depression.

"So why's Alfredo your best friend?"

Jasper shrugged. "He just is."

"Well what about all those guys on the football team? And Rosalie?"

"They not… they're mean," Jasper responded, frowning.

"What do you mean?"

"S'like, when I'm with them I have to act like who they want me to be. And if I needed something I don't think they would want to help me. I feel alone."

I just stared at him now, unable to form a coherent sentence. If you'd have told me any other time that Jasper Whitlock harbored these kinds of feelings, I would have laughed in your face.

"Dude… you're the quarterback for the football team. You're like the most popular guy in school."

"S'not true. And popular doesn't mean I have friends. Just means they all pretend to like me."

"Well… Emmett seems like a pretty good friend," I pointed out.

"Em wouldna done what he did to me yesterday. But you did it too. Why don't you like me? Nobody likes me," he muttered, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"Hey, that's not true," I told him. I felt a wave of both guilt and sympathy for the seemingly broken man in front of me.

As much as I wanted to point out that he started this fight first, I didn't want to make him feel worse than he already did.

"From now on, I'll be your friend okay?"

"Really?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Yeah. Let's be friends from now on." I couldn't really tell you what I was thinking at this point. It just felt like the right thing to say. And on some level, I hoped I meant it.

This time when he stood up to give me a hug, I didn't back away. The feeling of his arms around me, pulling me close to him was indescribable. I didn't try to fight the feeling as I did when I first got here; instead, I welcomed it. I didn't expect us to pick up from here when he was sober again, so I wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.

When he finally released me he slumped down on his bed and picked up Mr. Snuggles.

"M'sleepy."

"You should sleep then," I told him.

"Are you going to leave?" he asked sadly.

"I have to. But I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?"

"Kay. Bye Edward. Love you."

I turned around to look at him, only to find that he had already passed out. I gathered up my things and started walking out the door.

Just before I was at the end of the hallway, I looked back at his sleeping form on the bed. At that moment, I almost said it back.

Almost.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**EPOV**

I left Jasper's house with a lot on my mind. First, there were the basics. Why was Jasper home instead of at school? Why was he drunk? Where were his parents?

Then there were the not so basic things. When I promised Jasper that I'd be his friend, I really did mean it. The problem was that I didn't expect him to remember any of this. And even if he did, I'm not sure he'd want me to keep that promise.

It was still a bit hard to believe that someone like Jasper felt lonely. He always seemed so happy at school when he was surrounded by his friends and his girlfriend. I never would have guessed that he didn't feel close to any of them.

I got in my car and decided to text Emmett and let him know that Jasper was fine. I didn't give him any more detail than that; I'm sure that's something both Jasper and I would prefer to keep to ourselves.

* * *

As I arrived in class the next morning, I was both anxious and excited. I was anxious because I didn't know if Jasper would remember any of the previous day's events. I wasn't really looking forward to him being an asshole. On the other hand, I was excited that this might be a new chapter in our… friendship? I'm not really sure what our relationship was. A small voice in my head told me that I knew what I wanted it to be, but much like Rose's irritated glances in my direction, I ignored it.

Instead of zoning out as I usually did, I kept my eyes focused on the door. I was hoping that just a glance at Jasper would tell me exactly what to expect.

Unfortunately, when he did walk in, his face told me nothing. He wasn't smiling and chatting away like he usually was. His eyes seemed eerily empty. He didn't even acknowledge Rose when she tried to get his attention.

So it surprised me when he took his seat with a quiet "hey" directed at me. He didn't look at me and if it wasn't for the fact that the chair on the other side of him was empty, I wouldn't have even known he was talking to me.

"Um… hi," I said back. He didn't respond and by then the teacher had started today's lecture. As much as I didn't want to seem like a teenage girl by texting the person sitting next to me, I didn't have much of a choice. I needed to know what was going on with Jasper. I pulled out my phone and typed out a message.

"**So, about yesterday…"**

I didn't really know what to ask him, so I hoped that a nudge in the right direction would get him to talk. I watched as he pulled out his phone and began typing a response.

"**Did you mean it?"**

I was fairly certain that I knew what he was talking about, but I wanted to make sure. Mostly I just wanted to hear it from him.

"**Did I mean what?"**

I watched as he read the message and looked somewhat annoyed.

"**You know what."**

I rolled my eyes. If he wasn't going to make this easy, than neither was I.

"**We said a lot of things yesterday. No, I don't know what."**

Jasper stared at his phone and just set it on his desk without replying. I sighed and turned my attention back to the lecture. In just a few minutes I had become so engrossed in the lesson that I nearly jumped when I felt my phone vibrate again.

"**You said you'd be my friend."**

I wanted to be obnoxious and ask him what his point was, but I let him off the hook instead.

"**Yeah, I meant it."**

"**Why?"**

Well now, that was an interesting question. Even if I was being honest with myself, I didn't really know why. I knew part of it was that I felt sorry for him. I could even admit that since I didn't really have any friends myself, it'd be nice to finally have one. I'm sure there was a third reason somewhere, but I think it's in the section of my head that's being ignored right now.

"**Because I think you could use a friend. And I could too."**

I added that last bit to make sure that he knew I wasn't doing this as a favor to him. He seemed satisfied enough with that answer and we sat in silence for the rest of the period. I mean, we sat in silence when we were sending messages too but you get my point.

I wasn't in any rush to get out of the classroom when the bell rang so I took my time gathering up my stuff. As I walked out, I heard Rose and Jasper in a furious debate across the hall. I stood across the hall, stepping behind Rose's line of sight. Jasper's eyes caught mine for the briefest of moments before they started arguing again. I pretended to be going through my notebook, though I'm sure Jasper knew I was eavesdropping.

"You can't just disappear and not tell me where you are!" Rose all but screamed at him. She seemed as if she was trying to keep her voice down to avoid drawing a crowd.

"I don't need to tell you anything," Jasper replied calmly. He picked his backpack up off the ground and started walking towards me.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" she yelled after him.

"To my next class. Besides, my friend is waiting for me."

I took that as my cue and put my notebook away. Jasper stopped in front of me and waited for me to pack up my bag once more, and we left. I didn't turn around, but I felt Rose glaring at the back of my head.

This time, I didn't feel guilty about anything.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**JPOV**

I woke up this morning with the hangover from hell. As soon as I got out of bed, I nearly sprinted to the bathroom where I proceeded to acquaint myself with the toilet for what seemed like hours.

Once my stomach had finally settled down slightly, I slowly made my way back to my room. I sat on my bed as I tried to figure out what day it was. A quick glance at my clock let me know that it was just past four in the morning and I still had a few hours before I had to get ready for school.

_School._

I groaned as I remembered what had happened last time I was there. Every single person that I thought of as a "friend" immediately turned against me based on what someone else said. Though I suppose it was no less than I deserved.

I shifted in my bed only to feel something strange beneath by hand. I looked down and saw my stuffed bear there. As I stared at it, the events of yesterday came crashing down on me.

I had to remind myself to breath as I recalled Edward's visit. My head was still foggy, but I remembered enough to know that he was actually nice to me. Despite everything I put him through (and planned to put him through), he still acted as if he actually liked me.

And even more than that, I remembered a certain promise he made.

I resolved to ask him if he meant it, no matter how pathetic it mind sound.

* * *

I was surprised when people actually bothered trying to talk to me when I arrived at school. I was well aware that I was making a bigger deal of what happened than I needed to, but I didn't care. I ignored everyone who tried to talk to me. There was really only one person I cared about talking to right now.

I walked into the classroom and instantly felt a number of eyes on me. I ignored them all, Rose included, as I made my way to my seat. I realized that I should probably say something to Edward though.

"Hey," I said quietly, not even turning to look at him. Yep, that was the best I had.

"Um… hi," he responded. I was hoping he'd start the conversation, but when he didn't say anything else, I just turned and stared at the board. I tried to listen to the lecture, but my head was too much of a mess to pay attention.

A few minutes later, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw a message from Edward. Well, I guess this was one way to talk about it.

"**So, about yesterday…"**

That was enough for me to jump directly into what I wanted to ask him.

"**Did you mean it?"**

"**Did I mean what?"**

I was not in the mood for these games at all.

"**You know what."**

"**We said a lot of things yesterday. No, I don't know what."**

I stared at his response and set my phone down. He obviously wanted me to say it, though I couldn't really figure out why. A few minutes passed before I decided to just get it over with.

"**You said you'd be my friend."**

"**Yeah, I meant it."**

I sighed, glad that he didn't torture me further, but I was still wary of his motivation. I wasn't sure what he'd gain out of this friendship.

"**Why?"**

"**Because I think you could use a friend. And I could too."**

That was more than enough for me. I didn't know that much about the guy, but from what I did know, he didn't seem to have many friends. In fact, I never actually saw him hanging around with anyone. I wouldn't let that be the case anymore.

* * *

As soon as class ended, Rosalie was practically dragging me out of the room.

"You can't just disappear and not tell me where you are!" she yelled. If she was trying to avoid making a scene, she was failing. I briefly noticed Edward walk out of the classroom and edge behind Rose. I decided to use this as an opportunity to show him that I'm committed to this friendship.

"I don't need to tell you anything," I told Rose. I picked up my backpack and made my way to where Edward was pretending not to listen to our conversation.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Rose demanded.

"To my next class," I replied without turning around. "My friend is waiting for me."

I reached Edward and waited as he gathered up his belongings. Once he had, we walked toward our next class together without so much as a backward glance.

"So that was… fun," Edward said as we reached his classroom. Rose was the last thing I wanted to think about so I just shrugged at his comment.

"You didn't have to do that, you know."

I gave him a questioning look and he just looked down at the ground. It took me a minute to understand what he was saying.

"I wasn't trying to prove anything," I told him. He gave me an I-know-that's-bull-look. "I wasn't! I mean, okay, I was, but that's not the only reason," I amended. "I just really didn't want to deal with Rose."

"Why are you going out with her then?" he asked.

I opened my mouth to respond but realized that I didn't really have one. Edward seemed to understand that and thankfully didn't push the issue. We said our goodbyes and he turned to enter his next class. As I walked to my own classroom, I thought about what he said.

It was something that no one had ever really made me question before. It just seemed like we were supposed to be together.

I entered my classroom and took my seat. I stared blankly at the teacher as he began his lesson. Now that I had settled the issue with Edward (well, kind of), I had to figure out just where Rose and I were heading. Though my head seemed to have already solved that problem.

And I wasn't sure what to think of the solution.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**JPOV**

I left the classroom even more confused than I had been before. I thought I knew the solution to my issue with Rose, but the more I thought about it, the less clear things became.

I knew for certain that I cared about Rose. We'd been through a lot together, and that kind of bond doesn't just go away. At the same time, I didn't think I cared about her in the way that a boyfriend is supposed to care about a girlfriend.

And that always brought me back to the same question I started with. Why was I going out with her? To be completely honest, I couldn't even remember why I asked her out in the first place.

I was brought out of my daze when I bumped into someone. I looked up at his face and began to apologize when I saw that it was Emmett. He looked both annoyed and relieved at the same time, and I didn't understand his reaction.

"Where the fuck have you been?" he demanded.

"Why is that suddenly everyone's business?" I snapped at him. I hadn't forgotten the lies he told the football team about me, and I certainly hadn't forgiven him.

"I was worried about you!"

I looked at him closely and saw nothing but sincerity written across his features. That didn't make sense to me. Sure, I might have considered him a better "friend" than the other people I hung out with, but I didn't expect him to keep up this façade.

"If you were so worried, then why did you go and tell Tom that story about me being gay?" I retorted.

"That wasn't Emmett."

Emmett and I both turned to see Edward standing next to us, nervously staring at the ground.

"But Tom said-" I began.

"I texted that entire story through Emmett's phone. I'm sorry, Jasper."

I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. "Don't be," I murmured as I started walking toward my next class.

Edward quickly caught up to me. "Jasper, I'm really sorry."

"It's fine," I assured him. "I mean, I can't really blame you since I started the whole thing." Of course I was a little upset about what he did, but even I knew it wouldn't be fair to fault Edward for it. He did what he had to do to protect himself from me.

Actually, I was more than a little pissed at myself for even thinking about putting him through all that. That just isn't something that I'd do. So that begs the question: why did I do it?

I abruptly stopped when the answer revealed itself. Rosalie. She told me to do it. She told me that this would be a good idea; no, she told me that this was absolutely necessary. And I just sat there and listened to her.

"Everything okay?"

I was brought back to reality when I realized Edward and Emmett were still standing with me.

"Rose. I need to talk to her. Where is she?"

"Why do you need to talk to that… to her?" Emmett asked angrily. I made a mental note to ask him about that later.

"I just do. Do you know what class she has next?" I asked. I had too many questions and not enough answers. I intended to remedy that.

Emmett hesitantly gave me the information I asked for and watched with a blank expression as I headed in that direction. Edward just looked worried and that actually made me… happy. Only a real friend would be worried about me.

* * *

**EPOV**

"Emmett, I need to ask you something."

"What's up?"

"The place you told Jasper to go. There aren't any classrooms there."

"And?"

"He asked where Rose's next class is. How can she have class there when there aren't any classrooms in that part of the building?"

"Edward, why would Jasper want to know where Rose's next class is?"

"Because he wants to talk to her. He said so himself."

"Exactly. I told him where Rose is. Not where her classroom is."

"I'm confused."

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

**JPOV**

This didn't make sense. I followed Emmett's directions but there weren't any classes going on here. There was barely anyone around. I was about to give up and head back to my next class when I heard people talking in the next hallway. I figured I had nothing to lose and decided to ask them if they knew of any classes going on in this area.

Just before I turned the corner into the hallway I realized that I recognized the voices. I quickly stopped walking and leaned against the wall.

"Why do you care so much anyway? Let him do what he wants." It took me a moment to place the voice but I quickly realized it belonged to Jason, one of my teammates.

"Because he needs me. You know that, baby." I didn't want to be able to place this voice so easily, but it wasn't one I could easily forget. This voice belonged to Rosalie.

"Well that's not your problem, babe. I've been telling you that you need to break up with him already. How long are we supposed to keep sneaking around like this?"

"Just a little longer. I don't want to just abandon Jasper."

I'd heard enough. I all but ran to class and ignored the teacher's standard "you're late" speech. I was glad my seat was in the back of the classroom. The last thing I needed right now was for any more attention on me.

To say I was devastated would be an understatement. I never once even considered that Rose was capable of something like that. I didn't know what to do… what to think… what to say.

So I did the only thing that came to mind. I pulled out my phone and sent a message to someone that just recently, I would never have even thought of.

"**Edward, is there any way you can get out of class right now? I really need to talk to you."**

The response was simple, and yet everything I could have asked for.

"**Yeah."**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**EPOV**

I listened intently as the teacher gave her lecture. I was so engrossed in the topic at hand that I nearly missed the vibration of my phone in my pocket.

I pulled it out, annoyed that someone would be trying to talk to me during the school day. That annoyance quickly faded when I read the message.

"**Edward, is there any way you can get out of class right now? I really need to talk to you."**

I knew that there was no way Jasper would even consider asking me something like that unless it was extremely important. I quickly texted back my affirmative and asked the teacher if I could head to the nurse's office.

I realized the moment I stepped out the door that Jasper hadn't told me where he wanted me to meet him. I quickly walked to the end of the hallway before pulling out my phone to message him. That turned out to be unnecessary though, as I saw him round the corner with an empty expression on his face.

I grabbed his wrist and pulled him along with me as I headed to an area that I knew would be more or less deserted at the time. I did my best to ignore the warm fuzzy feeling (henceforth referred to as "the fuzzies") that I felt where my skin touched his, but I ignored it and focused on the more pressing matter at hand.

I felt Jasper's arm tense as we reached the area and I realized a moment later that this was the same area that Emmett had given Jasper directions to earlier. I briefly wondered if something had happened here.

I took a seat on the nearby bench and motioned for him to join me. He stared at me for a moment before complying.

"What happened?"

"Rose is cheating on me," he said simply.

Now I was the one at a loss for words.

"I, uh… I'm sorry?"

He sat down next to me and stared ahead, as if lost in a trance.

"It's funny, actually," he said after a few minutes. "Before I sent you that message, all I could think was 'how could she do that to me?'"

"But…?" I encouraged, wondering where he was going with this.

"I think I'm more upset that I was cheated on than the fact that it was Rose who cheated on me."

I stared at him perplexedly, waiting for an explanation.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't really care. I've been thinking a lot about what Rose really means to me. I do love her. But as a friend. That's all."

He opened his mouth as if to say more, but quickly closed it and just stared at the ground. I was more than willing to give him the time he needed to work this all out in his head. Besides, there were some weird things going on in my head as well.

For one thing, why was I secretly happy about all of this? Why was I so damn pleased that he would no longer be going out with Rose? Sure, I hated the bitch, but this seemed to be something else entirely.

"I guess… it doesn't really matter though," Jasper said, effectively ending my own musings.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I don't like her as any more than a friend, and I think that's true for her too. So in the end, neither one of us gets hurt. Right?"

"I can't really answer that, Jasper," I told him honestly. "I don't know why you two were going out in the first place if you never had any romantic feelings for each other. But I guess it's a good thing that you're not taking this too hard."

He nodded and continued to stare at the ground. We sat in silence for a few more minutes.

"I guess we should get back to class," Jasper said quietly, getting off the bench. I agreed and stood up with him. I turned to head back to my class but was stopped by Jasper's hand on my shoulder. I stopped and turned to look at him questioningly.

"Um…" he began, fidgeting nervously, "thanks." As he said that, he pulled me into a quick hug before hurrying back to class. I was left staring with my mouth hanging wide open. And I most definitely did NOT enjoy that hug. Not at all.

* * *

I debated calling Jasper after school to make sure that he was doing okay, but I figured he would let me know if he needed to talk again. But even with that in mind, I was anxious to see him as I walked into class the next morning.

He seemed well enough when he finally walked in, and he even gave Rose a slight nod, which confused me. I decided not to bring it up unless Jasper wanted to though. He took his seat and I was about to ask him how he was when I noticed something going on in the front of the classroom.

The teacher was talking to a girl I hadn't seen around before. I briefly wondered if she was going to be a new student. I tried to get a better look at her but her back was to the class.

Finally, the teacher shut the door and the girl turned around to face the rest of us. And damn, was she gorgeous. I tried not to think about the fact that I found Jasper more attractive. Objectively, of course.

"Students," Mr. Medina announced, "this is Alice. She has just transferred into this school from out of state and I trust you'll all make her feel welcome here."

She smiled at the class before taking her seat on the other side of Jasper.

I hated her already.

Not because she seemed like a bad person. Not because she had done anything wrong.

But because Jasper had been practically drooling over her since she first turned around.


End file.
